An Unexpectedly Wholesome Poker Game

It began with boredom, just like every tale written at the height of social estrangement.

I had already exhausted a few pandemic pastimes by the summer of 2020, with various degrees of both success and enthusiasm: grilling ribs (successful! ), Charleston dancing (enthusiastic! ), and watching every Resident Evil film (tolerable!). As Milla Jovovich kicked a zombie canine for the sixth time in as many days, I mused, “Hmm.” I’m curious if there’s a quick method to start playing online poker.

It appeared to me for a while that the response was no. Even today, if you search online for a free online gambling service, you’ll come across a number of dubious-sounding websites that will gladly accept your information, provide you with nothing in return, and inundate you with spam emails that are impossible to unsubscribe from no matter how hard you try. I suppose I shouldn’t have been shocked that websites created to profit from gamblers’ habits might be a little predatory.

But it was still depressing to see the internet being savaged every day by shady methods to wager on sports and cards, as well as who will play James Bond next, all of which are expected to generate $153 billion in revenue by 2023.

Then, right when I was about to give up and try my hand at basket weaving or something similar, I came across the healthiest version of an online casino: Poker Now. In two clicks, you can play poker with your pals. No signup or download is needed! No cost!” These are the claims made on the website, and they sounded a lot like the dozen or so other poker sites I’ve already tested that blatantly lie about their poker games. The secret is that Poker Now manages to fulfill them in some way.

The game itself offered just enough structure for everyone to have fun, so I could invite a group of strangers from all over the nation to participate in some very low-stakes gambling once that was taken care of. My expectations were so minimal that even if Poker Now had been operational, I probably would have been content.

I wasn’t expecting how useful its incredibly simple, straightforward UI would end up being. Without any help and with the least amount of hassle, I was able to set up a poker game with the exact parameters I wanted (2,000 chips per participant, no time or wager size restrictions), send a URL to anyone I wanted, and they could instantly join the game. Not even an app would need to be downloaded.

My friend group’s test game with me and three others proceeded without a hitch. The game had developed into a weekly tradition among the 10 people a month or two later. None of us ever really needed to think about the website because it functioned so well. We could casually play through dozens of hands in an hour while concentrating much more on our stories and inside jokes than the actual game, with the exception of times when a passionate monologue would drag on so long that the speaker neglected to call or fold.

As friendly and intimate as our game felt, we were not playing alone. In actuality, we were a little late. Samuel Simes, the creator of Poker Now, remembers a night in March 2020 when the website crashed so abruptly and severely that he thought it was under assault. No, it was just a group of individuals seeking for something to do during a global pandemic that overloaded the server and caused the site to reach a daily peak of 56,000 players. In the end, it was able to contact over 1 million people annually.Like every tale that takes place at the height of societal estrangement, it began with boredom.

I continue to be in awe of what Poker Now has to offer in a time when every “free” game is loaded with advertisements or microtransactions. A game that doesn’t ask for anything — other than an optional Patreon donation — simply shouldn’t function this well. I could discuss how the game automatically keeps track of how many hands each participant has won, ensuring bragging rights. Or how it subtly makes sure that every participant, no matter how inexperienced, has access to the knowledge they require to hold the best hand possible. Or how it heightens the tension during an all-in by providing real-time reports on each player’s chances of winning.

Both the Tournament and Spectator modes let you mix different tables together and let spectators see each player’s purse cards, just like when you watch poker on television. Even free voice and video chat are integrated into the game. (although my table has never broken the pandemic-era habit of using a separate Zoom link instead). The only thing it really lacks is a method of handling money, but even that is reasonable for Poker Now. In contrast to a conventional casino, this one doesn’t take a percentage.

However, I mostly ignored all of that because I was preoccupied with playing cards. If the best user interface is one you don’t even notice, Poker Now is practically invisible: a million small design choices add up to a website that stays out of the way so you can play cards, have fun with your friends, and howl when you lose to a gutshot straight draw on the river.

My epidemic poker table still meets almost weekly, almost three years later. The group has now established its own set of guidelines and customs, as well as internal humor and relationships. It is not an exaggeration to state that, as a result of our weekly Poker Now habit, I have now hung out with pals on both coasts that I would have never even met otherwise. There are players in every time zone.

I’m not sure how long it can last, but it could go on indefinitely. It seems impossible that a website this excellent will continue forever for free — not when there is money to be made. A few months ago, the site’s creator revealed that he had partnered with something called Rio Gaming. (A request for feedback from Simes was not answered.)

But even if the service currently offered by Poker Now is relegated to the pandemic as another pastime, it was there for us when we needed it most: a lucky draw in the sea of gambling sites vying for your business, giving you everything you could possibly want in exchange for nothing.

An Unexpectedly Wholesome Poker Game

It began with boredom, just like every tale written at the height of social estrangement.

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